Scandella - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres look to Brendan Guhle for spark

BUFFALO – Earlier this season, as injuries decimated the blue line and the Sabres kept rookie Brendan Guhle in Rochester, the plan for their top defense prospect became evident.

The Sabres wanted Guhle to pay his dues, quietly develop in the AHL and eventually earn a recall.

“We were going through a tough stretch there, where you think about bringing guys up, we had some capable defensemen back there,” coach Phil Housley said Monday after ... Read the full article

Sabres can’t score again, waste another strong Robin Lehner effort

BUFFALO – In Robin Lehner’s 13 appearances at home, the goalie has morphed into the Sabres’ only consistent presence, providing the feeble club a chance to win most nights.

Lehner has performed splendidly at KeyBank Center this season, compiling a 1.94 goals against average (No. 1 at home in the NHL) and a .935 save percentage (tied for first).

But the hapless Sabres own the NHL’s worst offense, averaging 2.1 goals a game. Incredibly, ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Nathan Beaulieu struggling in first weeks with team

BUFFALO – Nathan Beaulieu never envisioned beginning his Sabres career this poorly. Sixteen games into his season, the defenseman has struggled offensively and often looks weak defensively.

So far, Beaulieu, 24, has compiled zero goals, three assists and a minus-7 rating. An upper-body injury also sidelined him seven games.

Beaulieu has played in just two of the Sabres’ six wins.

“I haven’t been satisfied whatsoever,” Beaulieu said prior to Friday’s 3-1 win against the ... Read the full article

Former Sabres Tyler Ennis, Marcus Foligno happy with Wild

BUFFALO – In Minnesota, the standard is much different, nothing like popular former Sabres wingers Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno experienced here.

“You’re coming to a team that’s goal is to win the Stanley Cup, and Buffalo’s still in a rebuild,” Ennis said Wednesday prior to scoring his first goal in 10 games early in his return to KeyBank Center.

The reeling Sabres rank last in the Eastern Conference, losers of seven straight games after ... Read the full article

Former Sabres Tyler Ennis, Marcus Foligno enjoying fresh start with Wild

BUFFALO – In Minnesota, the standard is much different, nothing like popular former Sabres wingers Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno experienced here.

“You’re coming to a team that’s goal is to win the Stanley Cup, and Buffalo’s still in a rebuild,” Ennis said this afternoon.

Yes, the reeling Sabres rank last in the Eastern Conference, losers of six straight games entering tonight’s tilt. Despite a 9-8-3 record, the Wild are last in the ultra-competitive Central ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jason Pominville, Marco Scandella learned from Wild tenure

BUFFALO – While perhaps a step slower at 34 years old, Sabres winger Jason Pominville still showcases many of the talents that have helped him score 267 goals and once made him an NHL All-Star.

Wednesday against his old team, the Minnesota Wild, Pominville will likely be reunited with center Jack Eichel and Evander Kane. At an age when most players are retired or graying, Pominville is still playing on a top scoring line.... Read the full article

Hockey Fights Cancer Night personal for Sabres coach Phil Housley

BUFFALO – In addition to her regular duties raising two boys and a girl in the 1970s and early 80s, MaryLee Housley helped her son Phil’s burgeoning hockey career with two extra jobs: chauffeur and cheerleader.

Phil Housley’s father, LeRoy, a plasterer, worked extra hours so Phil and his brother, Larry, could play hockey growing up in Minnesota. So MaryLee drove Phil to the rink and cheered him on like a proud mother.... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Casey Nelson recalled with Taylor Fedun injured

BUFFALO – After suffering a lower-body injury, Sabres defenseman Taylor Fedun stayed on the bench for the rest of Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime loss in Pittsburgh.

“He was trying to work through it,” Sabres coach Phil Housley said Thursday. “He wanted to be a part of the team. It’s good to see him try to gut it out for a little bit.”

Fedun’s injury is so bad it will sideline him six to eight weeks, Housley ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Justin Falk earning keep on top defense tandem

PITTSBURGH – Buffalo Sabres veteran Justin Falk has carved out a solid 229-game NHL career by showcasing a gritty, no-frills style.

The 6-foot-5, 223-pound Falk is a defensive defenseman.

“In this league, I’ve always been pretty conservative as far as where I go on the offensive side and the rush and skating and all that,” Falk said prior to Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Penguins inside PPG Paints Arena.

But Sabres coach Phil Housley ... Read the full article

Sidney Crosby, Penguins struggling entering tilt with Sabres

PITTSBURGH – Right now, superstar Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions, look nothing like their normal selves.

Crosby, 30, has scored zero goals in the last 11 games. If the slick center doesn’t score tonight against the Buffalo Sabres, a team he has dominated over the years, it would equal a career-long goal drought.

Incredibly, the most prolific scorer of his generation hasn’t created much, either, mustering only three assists ... Read the full article